More than two decades after his final NBA game, Lakers legend Magic Johnson is still adding to his championship collection. His latest came when the LA Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling Game 7 to win their second straight World Series. As a proud part-owner, Johnson was ecstatic to see his hometown team crowned champions once again. But this isn’t his only win as owner!

While Johnson celebrated the Dodgers’ win, he also used the moment to highlight his incredible success across sports. “I’m happy for myself, because that’s 18 championship rings,” he told Fox Sports while bursting into laughter. “I had to throw that in,” he added. While that’s wholesome to say the least, there’s been a lot of chatter around the former Lakers star’s viral claim.

How many championship rings does Magic Johnson have?

There’s no doubt Magic Johnson has found success both on the court and as an owner. While some debate whether he holds 15 or 18 rings, Johnson himself claims 18, and the numbers back him up (to some extent). During his NBA career, he won five championships with the Lakers and added several more as part-owner across multiple sports franchises.

Johnson’s five titles with the Lakers came in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. After retiring, the three-time MVP transitioned to ownership, becoming part-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. During that time, the team won five more championships in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010. These victories, both as a player and owner, lifted Johnson’s total to an impressive ten championship rings. But there’s a catch. He claims to have another, this time as a Lakers executive.*

Though Johnson resigned from the post of President of Basketball Operations in 2019, the Lakers were kind enough to send him and his wife each a ring after the 2020 Bubble Championship.*

Over time, Magic Johnson expanded his sports business empire, exploring new opportunities that led to even more championships. He added three titles with the LA Dodgers in 2020, 2024, and 2025, along with a WNBA title with the LA Sparks and an MLS championship with LAFC. His success across multiple leagues cemented his legacy as one of the most accomplished figures in sports. While this takes Johnson’s ring collection to 16, a number which many believe is correct for his accolades, that’s not the case.

The veteran counts his NCAA championship that he won with Michigan State as a ring as well. In fact, not just that, he also takes into account 1 Esports championships that his team, Team Liquid, has won (which is not directly owned by Johnson, but he is an investor in the company that owns the Dota 2 team), making it indeed 18 titles for the former NBA star. Speaking of this, you might be wondering how many franchises Magic Johnson actually owns, right?

What teams does Magic Johnson own?

Well, after counting all the championships he’s won over the years, you might have noticed that Magic Johnson has ownership in several franchises. However, the important question you might be thinking about is how many teams the Lakers legend actually owns. Well, why don’t we take a look at that ourselves?

These are the seven teams or franchises that Magic Johnson owns or has previously had a stake in. As you can understand that most of his investments have been made within Los Angeles, with the Commanders and Spirit being the only two teams outside of California. So, now that you know which teams the former Los Angeles Lakers guard has under his billion-dollar portfolio, it’s only right that we take a look at how his championships are counted.

How are Magic Johnson’s championships counted?

Well, to start, we have the former No. 1 pick’s championship rings as a player. This includes the following NBA championships:

• Los Angeles Lakers 1980
• Los Angeles Lakers 1982
• Los Angeles Lakers 1985
• Los Angeles Lakers 1987
• Los Angeles Lakers 1988

Now we will take a look at all his championships as a part-owner/investor of a franchise. This includes the following titles:

• Los Angeles Lakers 2000
• Los Angeles Lakers 2001
• Los Angeles Lakers 2002
• Los Angeles Lakers 2009
• Los Angeles Lakers 2010
• Los Angeles Lakers 2020* (explained above)
• Los Angeles Sparks 2016
• Team Liquid 2017 (Investor)
• Los Angeles Dodgers 2020
• Los Angeles FC 2022
• Team Liquid 2024 (Investor)
• Los Angeles Dodgers 2024
• Los Angeles Dodgers 2025

These championships, both as a professional player and a part-owner, take Magic Johnson’s count to 18. But let’s not forget, the Magician did have an NCAA title at Michigan State.

• NCAA Championship 1979

That’s 18 rings (19) for the NBA Hall of Famer. Even though some of you might not count a few of his victories within the championship realm, that’s the least of Johnson’s concerns, as he continues to grow his business empire even further.